2021 Pensacola Summer Beach vacation EXPENSIVE

[Cynt]

Just venting...

We usually cruise during the summer but since cruises departing from the states are a no go right now we decided to check out a beach vacation. We are looking to drive Pensacola beach and stay a week in a resort, hotel or condo. I've been looking the last two weeks. It's crazy expensive. The Summer rates are insane.. Various prices but average is around $3000+ a week once you add in all the taxes and fees.. We even decided to look in Perdido and orange Beach. They're just as expensive.

I'm ready to tell my DH let's just fly to Orlando. We have plenty of AA credits for our flight. For $3000 we could book something offsite and have money for food and Universal Studios. We already have two 2 day WDW passes.

We enjoy Pensacola but I don't know if we're going this year.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS!

 

[Traveling on cc points]

Are you open to doing in all inclusive in Mexico? Several of the big brands are offering really great deals right now.
from everything I have read, they are doing a great job with COVID prevention too.

 

[Cynt]

Yes we have. My two sisters and their families just returned. We were supposed to be there with them. We're still a little gun shy to pull the trigger on Mexico due to the covid testing to get back to the states. Not just Mexico but any Caribbean resort. We really wanted to go to Punta Cana but decided against it. We can't get stuck in a place due to our jobs. So for right now better safe than sorry.

 

[mjkacmom]

Yes we have. My two sisters and their families just returned. We were supposed to be there with them. We're still a little gun shy to pull the trigger on Mexico due to the covid testing to get back to the states. Not just Mexico but any Caribbean resort. We really wanted to go to Punta Cana but decided against it. We can't get stuck in a place due to our jobs. So for right now better safe than sorry.

My daughter is with my sister and cousins in palm beach for spring break. They were going to go to Cabo, but the covid test was too unsettling. Good thing, my daughter had covid a few weeks ago and is still testing positive even though she’s not contagious. We rent a house every year at the Jersey shore, prices and availability are nuts. We are paying $1700 - a night - not including vrbo fees.

 

[madge]

We’ve found the same thing to be true about Pensacola and costs. I read yesterday that the Spring Hill Suites Marriott is closed through much of the summer. Availability is low & prices are high.

 

[LovesTimone]

Looking in Destin, Fort Walton, Pensacola Beach, Panama City, Orange Beach AL. Between all these you should be able to find something more reasonable... if you are wanting on the beach or beach front its gonna cost you...

As far as Mexico or the Dominican, or really anywhere in the Caribbean... I would totally skip it, safety being the first priority, and getting back into the country is another big thing to worry about...

 

[HeatherC]

I would also look at hotels...some suite hotels are as nice as a condo and may wind up being a lot cheaper.

 

[bearzabout]

Have you considered going someplace cooler in summer? The great lakes are beautiful. Check out Mackinaw Island and the Petosky area in Michigan. Rent a boat, walk the trails along the beautiful beaches and rivers, climb sand dunes, etc.

You can't beat the mountains in Four Corners area in summer, though it can be hot. Have you ever been to Telluride, Aspen, Durango, Santa Fe or Sedona? Ever seen Bryce or Zion in Utah? This would be a great opportunity to go somewhere new. You can always fly to Florida for a few days to use your passes when it isn't 100 degrees. Florida will be so much cheaper once the kids are back in school.

We love Savannah, Hilton Head, the area south of Myrtle Beach and Williamsburg. It can be hot so spring and fall are nice in these areas.

Ever covered the coast of Maine and mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont? These are ideal places in summer without the huge crowds. Check out some great museums, like the Corning Glass Museum not far from the finger lakes in NY.

Check out lodging on Air BNB. We find nice places for under $100/night in summer. We have also found some great deals renting from timeshare owners who are not travelling this year.

 

[MKCP5]

I've looked at places for summer and seen the same thing. We would rather be in a rental home and manage our own food etc this year even though we have been vaccinated. We also want to be outdoors most of the time, so beach, or hiking, national parks etc are where we are looking, As the world starts reopening from Covid, prices for recreation, hotels, rentals, car rentals, flights, everything is skyrocketing. All of these places are looking to make up for the loss of income last year. There won't be a lot of deals to be found unfortunately

 

[J'aime Paris]

Just venting...

We usually cruise during the summer but since cruises departing from the states are a no go right now we decided to check out a beach vacation. We are looking to drive Pensacola beach and stay a week in a resort, hotel or condo. I've been looking the last two weeks. It's crazy expensive. The Summer rates are insane.. Various prices but average is around $3000+ a week once you add in all the taxes and fees.. We even decided to look in Perdido and orange Beach. They're just as expensive.

I'm ready to tell my DH let's just fly to Orlando. We have plenty of AA credits for our flight. For $3000 we could book something offsite and have money for food and Universal Studios. We already have two 2 day WDW passes.

We enjoy Pensacola but I don't know if we're going this year.

DECISIONS, DECISIONS!

We own condos in Orange Beach. I raised my rates for the summer, and we are booked very solid. Law of supply and demand.
People are ready to get back out there, and beaches are a relatively safe place to vacation. Lots of open air and plenty of beautiful sand.

We are making back a bit of what we lost when shut down during Covid.....and hurricane Sally in Sept. 2020

 

[Cynt]

Have you considered going someplace cooler in summer? The great lakes are beautiful. Check out Mackinaw Island and the Petosky area in Michigan. Rent a boat, walk the trails along the beautiful beaches and rivers, climb sand dunes, etc.

You can't beat the mountains in Four Corners area in summer, though it can be hot. Have you ever been to Telluride, Aspen, Durango, Santa Fe or Sedona? Ever seen Bryce or Zion in Utah? This would be a great opportunity to go somewhere new. You can always fly to Florida for a few days to use your passes when it isn't 100 degrees. Florida will be so much cheaper once the kids are back in school.

We love Savannah, Hilton Head, the area south of Myrtle Beach and Williamsburg. It can be hot so spring and fall are nice in these areas.

Ever covered the coast of Maine and mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont? These are ideal places in summer without the huge crowds. Check out some great museums, like the Corning Glass Museum not far from the finger lakes in NY.

Check out lodging on Air BNB. We find nice places for under $100/night in summer. We have also found some great deals renting from timeshare owners who are not travelling this year.

Thanks for the great suggestions. We have ventured out to a few new places this year. We've been to the Grand Canyon/Flagstaff/Sedona - LOVED IT! Nothing like the GC. Unexplainable! Sedona is a quaint little town snuggled in the red rocks. We really enjoyed hiking and jeeping in Sedona. We're headed to Boston/Martha's Vineyard next month and probably in the fall will go back up to the east coast to rent a car drive from Maine, NH and Vermont on a road trip. Funny you mentioned Zion I was just reading about them last month. We're trying to visit all 50 states, it's a bucket list item for the DH and I. We're ahead on our schedule due to C19. So it's all good.

I started hiking about 2 years ago so visiting state/national parks have been fun these last 12 months. But I'm a beach bum so I'm really ready to go back to the beach.

 

[Cynt]

Looking in Destin, Fort Walton, Pensacola Beach, Panama City, Orange Beach AL. Between all these you should be able to find something more reasonable... if you are wanting on the beach or beach front its gonna cost you...

As far as Mexico or the Dominican, or really anywhere in the Caribbean... I would totally skip it, safety being the first priority, and getting back into the country is another big thing to worry about...

I would also look at hotels...some suite hotels are as nice as a condo and may wind up being a lot cheaper.

I've looked at places for summer and seen the same thing. We would rather be in a rental home and manage our own food etc this year even though we have been vaccinated. We also want to be outdoors most of the time, so beach, or hiking, national parks etc are where we are looking, As the world starts reopening from Covid, prices for recreation, hotels, rentals, car rentals, flights, everything is skyrocketing. All of these places are looking to make up for the loss of income last year. There won't be a lot of deals to be found unfortunately

We own condos in Orange Beach. I raised my rates for the summer, and we are booked very solid. Law of supply and demand.
People are ready to get back out there, and beaches are a relatively safe place to vacation. Lots of open air and plenty of beautiful sand.

We are making back a bit of what we lost when shut down during Covid.....and hurricane Sally in Sept. 2020

Thanks for confirming prices are high. Most hotels are sold out the week we are traveling. We're still looking at options and might head to Pensacola Beach in September. We believe most of the kids will be back in school and hopefully prices will drop.

 

[tink1970]

Thanks for confirming prices are high. Most hotels are sold out the week we are traveling. We're still looking at options and might head to Pensacola Beach in September. We believe most of the kids will be back in school and hopefully prices will drop.

...also last September there was Hurricane Sally which not only caused quite a lot of devastation BUT knocked out the primary route from Pensacola to Pensacola Beach. As a result, I'm sure it's been a challenge to say the least for hotels to rebuild as "usual." A lot of businesses have suffered and it's a been a mess all way 'round. Not saying this to be discouraging, just a little additional background. Things might be back to normal in the summer but since the bridge isn't back, hard to say. They were saying it would be functional March, now it's projected to be Memorial Day...but I'm not optimistic.

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

Look into the US Virgin Islands, tropical and still park of the US

 

[DisneyMomx7]

Try St. Augustine. We rent a two bedroom/two bath condo directly on the beach for $3200 for TWO WEEKS

 

[JennP78]

Try St. Augustine. We rent a two bedroom/two bath condo directly on the beach for $3200 for TWO WEEKS

Would you share where you found this please?

 

[MKCP5]

Would you share where you found this please?

Agreed!

 

[Cynt]

Look into the US Virgin Islands, tropical and still park of the US

Thank you for this suggestion. https://usviupdate.com/
I just checked and you have to submit an approved C19 test result and get cleared to travel to the US Virgin Islands. No C19 test result is required to travel to or return to the US mainland.

We have no problems getting tested to travel. So this might be a great option for us. Thanks again.

 

[Cynt]

...also last September there was Hurricane Sally which not only caused quite a lot of devastation BUT knocked out the primary route from Pensacola to Pensacola Beach. As a result, I'm sure it's been a challenge to say the least for hotels to rebuild as "usual." A lot of businesses have suffered and it's a been a mess all way 'round. Not saying this to be discouraging, just a little additional background. Things might be back to normal in the summer but since the bridge isn't back, hard to say. They were saying it would be functional March, now it's projected to be Memorial Day...but I'm not optimistic.

Yeah, we were aware of this. We even looked into staying on the other end down by Navarre Beach. Traffic is going to be crazy if the bridge isn't fixed by June.

 

[sk!mom]

Have you considered going someplace cooler in summer? The great lakes are beautiful. Check out Mackinaw Island and the Petosky area in Michigan. Rent a boat, walk the trails along the beautiful beaches and rivers, climb sand dunes, etc.

You can't beat the mountains in Four Corners area in summer, though it can be hot. Have you ever been to Telluride, Aspen, Durango, Santa Fe or Sedona? Ever seen Bryce or Zion in Utah? This would be a great opportunity to go somewhere new. You can always fly to Florida for a few days to use your passes when it isn't 100 degrees. Florida will be so much cheaper once the kids are back in school.

We love Savannah, Hilton Head, the area south of Myrtle Beach and Williamsburg. It can be hot so spring and fall are nice in these areas.

Ever covered the coast of Maine and mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont? These are ideal places in summer without the huge crowds. Check out some great museums, like the Corning Glass Museum not far from the finger lakes in NY.

Check out lodging on Air BNB. We find nice places for under $100/night in summer. We have also found some great deals renting from timeshare owners who are not travelling this year.

with much of the world still closed to travel, I think prices are high everywhere open and accessible. We’re going the Great Lakes, Mackinac, Michigan route and every part of it is expensive. Thank goodness that we paid for the flight with SW points but it took a lot of points. We have friends who are choking on the lodging cost for a Yellowstone trip.

It’s just going to be an expensive summer to travel.